Fate Isn't Always Kind
by Tailsgfriend
Summary: Makoto has lived his life without any knowledge of who his soul mate is, all he had to show he had one was a dolphin and whale symbol on his hip. How will he react when he finds his soul mate with the matching symbol, who isn't only a baby, but his best friend Rin's newborn son? Based off of a Tumblr prompt where a doctor helps deliver their soul mate as a baby. Just for laughs.
1. Chapter 1

Soul mates. They were the one thing everyone had looked for. They'd search everywhere and make many mistakes before they found that special one, hell sometimes they wouldn't even find 'the one'. That was until scientists found a way for people to find their soul mate without the mistakes and wasted effort. They created a serum that they introduced to society years ago and now, because of the work of the scientist, the whole population can find the soul mate fate decided for them. The day both soul mates are alive a symbol will form somewhere on their body and when they meet their soul mate, who has the identical symbol, their chests will glow.

Fate, as it turns out, likes to be cruel though.

Makoto sat in his hospital office as he looked over the records of different patients, the white walls around him strangely giving him some sense of relaxation. He had just gotten to work but was sure things would speed up soon for him, he had a couple checkup appointments for pregnant, soon to be expecting, women and also a couple appointments for children. He preferred working in the pediatrics section since he loved children, but he also liked helping expecting women because he knew he was making an impact on the soon to be born baby's life. Makoto's job wasn't stress free though, it required him to be ready for anything, he was in charge of lives, and this fact scared him as well as giving him a sense of responsibility.

Makoto at least found solace in his small clean office, it was necessary to keep sane with this job and to have a place to be relaxed, and his organized office gave him that. It felt like home to him now, he spent most of his time at the hospital anyway rather than the house he shared with his two friends, Rin and Sousuke, which was probably for the better sometimes. Those two didn't always get along. Despite the fact he was still young at the age of twenty-four and working towards getting his PH D the hospital kept him busy, he was popular amongst the kids and mothers anyways. Makoto didn't care he spent most of his time at the hospital, he loved it, he loved being able to help people and loved working with kids. The job took a toll on him sometimes, with lack of sleep or not being able to maintain a perfectly healthy diet, but Makoto was happy with his life right now, and he could devote as much time as he wanted to this job, he hadn't found his soul mate yet and didn't have a family to take care of, so there was a minimum amount of distractions.

The olive haired doctor wasn't upset about the fact he hadn't found his soul mate yet, sure it was a bit disappointing but Makoto was being patient. He believed fate would lead him to his special someone when the right time came. He would admit, though, he was always a little jealous when he saw someone meet their soul mate. He wished it could've been him sometimes, just walking down the street and having his chest glow when he walked by the one, or sitting next to them on a train, maybe even meeting them at the hospital when they were having a check-up.

The worst was when his friend Rin Matsuoka met his soul mate in high school. His name is Sousuke Yamazaki. Sousuke had been a new student, and at the time he first came Rin was off on a family trip. Sousuke had started bullying Makoto and his friend group and when Rin came back and found out he took Makoto with him to go confront Sousuke, he chose Makoto to come along of course because of his height, Makoto was a lot more intimidating then their other two friends, Rei and Nagisa. Makoto could remember how angry Rin was, he had commented how he 'couldn't leave them alone', Makoto was just nervous because he hated confrontation. Rin had seen Sousuke and started to yell at him as he stormed over, dragging the unwilling Makoto along with him, and that's when Sousuke turned around and it happened. Makoto had watched as both their chests glowed and he couldn't help but feel a bit angry. Before that Makoto never really had been angry, he was usually a positive person, but he was mad because he wanted to be the one who met his soul mate. Sousuke and Rin became inseparable after that, causing Makoto not only lose his best friend, but also get a good slap in the face realizing he was alone and the only one in his friend group without a soul mate. Rin had Sousuke and Nagisa had Rei, even Rin's little sister, Gou, had a soulmate.

After that event Makoto got stuck in a bit of depression, and to say it didn't last long would be a lie. As he grew older he became able to manage and accept his loneliness, though he did get a bit of an alcohol and cigarette dependence. He was cutting down though since he knew it was an unhealthy habit, but he couldn't completely stop, it kept him relaxed and in his cheery mood. Still, every time someone he knew found their soul mate it hurt a little inside. He even had to watch as his siblings, Ren and Ran, find their soul mates before him. That was a big blow to his self-esteem. The whole topic of soul mates was never brought up around Makoto, and he wasn't upset about it either. Makoto didn't want to think about soul mates because he feared that he may never find his. He was scared he was a 'dead end', someone with no soul mate, or that his busy hospital career would keep him from ever meeting them… But Makoto convinced himself there was hope. He did have a mark on his hip, which meant that he did have a soul mate somewhere out there, but it didn't eliminate the possibility of his soul mate dying and Makoto becoming a dead end. He wanted to have a family one day, and he knew he would never be able to settle down with someone who wasn't his soul mate. Makoto's morals wouldn't allow it. He could understand that some people got sick of waiting or their soul mate died so they started looking for someone new, but Makoto knew he wouldn't be able to, even if they didn't really exist, in Makoto's mind that would be a betrayal.

Makoto's cellphone started to buzz and rang throughout the room, sparking Makoto out of his thoughts as the annoying ringtone went off. Makoto looked down at the phone only to read Rin's name. _'Speaking of betrayal…' _He thought to himself with a sigh as he answered his phone. Makoto didn't hate Rin, but the red head was a prime example of how some soul mates betray the other.

"Hello?" Makoto asked, Rin never really called him at work unless it was an emergency, his friends knew how busy he usually was, and so he wasn't sure what could've been wrong.

"H-Hi." Rin replied, his voice was rushed and laced with panic, causing Makoto to worry and question what was going on.

"What's wrong?" Makoto asked, sitting up straighter in his black office chair. He could've sworn he heard Sousuke in the background, his angry voice causing Makoto to worry a bit more. _'Did the two get in a fight?'_

"It's Aki… S-She's having the baby." Rin says and Makoto freezes in place. All the panic makes sense. About eight months ago Rin and Sousuke had gotten into a large fight, Makoto wasn't too sure what it was about, they had been fighting a lot at the time so the olive haired doctor stopped keeping track. Usual each of their fights would end quickly, and with the two making up in a way that caused Makoto to have a very sleepless night, but that fight was bad. Sousuke had even left for about a week. The two were too stubborn and proud, causing even small problems in their relationship to form into big ones. Rin had been heartbroken the first couple days Rin was gone, Makoto had to help calm him down as he spent most of his day crying in the two's bedroom. After that, Rin got a bit more destructive with his behavior and started to come home drunk. What he did before that Makoto had no clue, just Rin seemed detached. When Sousuke finally came home, Rin broke down crying. He admitted that he was scared Sousuke was never going to come back and that he had cheated. He slept with their former high school classmate, Aki, who Makoto remembered as a real sweet heart. If that didn't piss Sousuke off enough, the two were told of Aki's pregnancy not long after. Somehow despite all of the panic, Rin and Aki decided to keep the baby. Though Makoto was happy there would be a new addition with them all, he felt bad for Sousuke. Sousuke was bitter towards this child and Makoto understood why. The baby would be a constant reminder that Rin had cheated, and Sousuke wanted nothing to do with that.

"Oi Makoto!" Rin's shaky voice rang throughout the phone, bringing the olive haired doctor's attention back to what was happening. It wasn't surprising that despite the panic Rin still had his hot headed personality.

"O-Oh, sorry!" Makoto apologizes, feeling a small pang of guilt for getting lost in his thoughts while Rin was freaking out. He thinks for a moment about the pregnancy and frowns slightly.

"Isn't it early for Aki to be having the baby?" He asks.

"It's a month early…" Rin says quietly, Makoto rubs his face, knowing that could cause some problems. He opened his mouth to speak but Rin's voice cut him off.

"Aki and I want you to deliver it Makoto." He says, causing Makoto to freeze in place.

"R-Rin, I've never…. I-I've never delivered a baby before…" Makoto sputters with a small whine. The thought of actually bringing a life in the world was overwhelming and nerve wracking.

"But you know how, right?" Rin asks.

"W-Well yeah but-" Makoto starts but once again is cut off by the red head.

"Then you can do it! Please… It would make us both more comfortable if it was you…" Rin insists and Makoto lets out a small whine. He was positive that Rin knew he had a weakness towards being guilt tripped; he wanted to make everyone happy and found it hard to say no to people.

"F-fine…" Makoto says with a small sigh. He rubbed his face and decided he would have to cancel or have someone cover some of his appointments today so he had time to help Aki.

"Thank you! We'll be there soon." Rin said and hung up. Makoto noticed Rin sounded a bit more confident after that and felt partially relieved. At least he helped his friend a bit, even if it did stress himself out.

Makoto wouldn't lie, he felt a bit of excitement towards the new life being brought in the world, even with the fact that he was going to be the one helping Aki deliver it. Aki and Rin had told Makoto before that he would be the child's god father; Sousuke had been out of the question since he wanted nothing to do with the child. It had also been decided that Aki and Rin would have equal time with the baby, switching every other week. Because of this Makoto and Rin set up a room in their house for the new arrival. Makoto found himself smiling softly to himself; he hoped he was a good god parent. All he could do was try his best.

Aki, Rin, and Sousuke came into the hospital not much later; Makoto was quick to bring them into a private room and help make sure Aki was comfortable. He knew that was an important part to this. He could tell Rin and Sousuke had a bit of tension between them right now, though they decided to move past the whole cheating thing, Makoto could tell it would take a while for Sousuke to really forgive and trust Rin again.

Aki on the other hand, was full of smiles, despite any pain she felt. Makoto could sense the excitement radiating from her and couldn't help but feel a bit calmer by it. If she was calm right now, then Makoto felt he could be calm as well. Sadly enough, the peace didn't last for long. Once Aki was all settled down, she let out a small gasp and held onto the bedside tightly with a contraction. Rin at this point lost any sense of calmness as he started to panic, seeming unsure how to handle the contraction. Makoto noticed that this only stressed Aki out more and chewed his lip.

"Rin, why don't you and Sousuke get some food, we might be here for a while so you guys or Aki could get hungry." Makoto says, he knew that no more stress should be added to Aki and the baby right now, so he was relieved when Rin nods.

"Food, yeah, okay, I'll be right back." Rin says a bit rushed and runs off, dragging Sousuke along with him. Makoto wasn't sure if he was thankful to get out of the room right now. He now turned to Aki, who had gotten over her contraction and had a look of relief on her face.

"Thank you… " She said softly, Makoto chuckled and gave her a small reassuring smile.

"It was no problem. I don't want you to be too stressed at a time like this." Makoto says and Aki makes a small nod.

"I know Rin means well but… He's freaking me out…" Aki says softly and Makoto chuckles.

"Rin does get over emotional; I guess he's just nervous to be a dad." He says. Makoto took out his clip board and looked to Aki.

"How far apart are your contractions?" He asks.

"I don't know… About twenty minutes I guess…" Aki says and Makoto nods, writing down some notes on the matter. He knew Aki was trying to be helpful so was being patient with her.

"Alright, you have some time before you have to start pushing. Just let me know if there are any changes in the intensity of pain." Makoto informs her, Aki gives a small nod and rubs her stomach lightly.

"Do you think I'm a bad person… Since I slept with Rin despite him having a soulmate…?" Aki asks quietly to Makoto's surprise.

"No… I don't… I understand that waiting can be-" Makoto starts but Aki cuts him off, her look apologetic as she does so.

"I… I wasn't waiting Makoto… I'm a dead end; I have no soul mate… I have no symbol…" Aki says quietly and Makoto frowns deeply. Aki had grown up her whole life with no symbol, meaning she knew she would never have a soul mate. Makoto couldn't imagine how that felt. His mind wanders back to his own symbol on his hip; it was of a whale and dolphin. He had seen it so many times, but now it felt like it was becoming a mark of a curse, a curse of expecting to find the one only to get his hopes up.

"I-I didn't know…" He says quietly, he felt bad for Aki hearing that someone as sweet as her had no one to wait for. Part of him felt even more scared now knowing that it happened to someone he knew, he was afraid about his own soul mate. Aki looked down at her stomach with sad eyes.

"I know… Rin didn't at first either… I just… I never should've done anything with him… I knew he had a soul mate but I-I… part of me actually loved him… I-I wanted him to love me back… But he just went back to Sousuke after…" Aki says shakily and wipes her eyes. Makoto was unable to watch her upset like this and grabbed her hand, he knew how empty it felt without a soul mate and couldn't imagine how it felt to be trying so hard to find love and only be rejected. Makoto had no words to say, he knew he couldn't make it better for her, Rin was going to stay with his soul mate, which wasn't exactly bad, but he was unintentionally hurting Aki by it. Makoto couldn't understand why the universe would do this to someone as nice as Aki, poor innocent people are given the worst in life and it wasn't fair at all. It was downright cruel.

"Do you think I-I gave my child bad luck? S-Since Rin and I weren't soul mates… I-I don't know how it'll affect my child… if it'll have a soul mate or not… I-if the universe will be cruel to it like it was to me…" Aki says quietly and Makoto frowns more. He squeezes Aki's hand reassuringly.

"I'm sure it'll have a soul mate, even if you and Rin weren't soul mates, it doesn't mean that this wasn't fate. It was bound to happen, so your child will most likely have a soul mate… regardless of you and Rin's relationship." Makoto said, just hoping it was all true. In all honesty he had no clue if the fact Rin and Aki weren't soul mates will weigh on their child's love life. It very well could, since the two were never supposed to be together, but Makoto couldn't say that to Aki. He just had to hope everything would be okay for her and her child. Aki didn't deserve more pain.

"..Do you know the baby's gender?" Makoto asks after a moment of silence, he just wanted to change the subject so Aki wasn't so upset.

"We don't know… We wanted to wait until it was born." Aki says. Makoto smiles softly at her.

"I'm sure it'll be a great kid." He says, and Aki gives a small smile. Makoto was glad that he could calm her down a bit.

Rin and Sousuke entered the room with a bit of food, bringing Makoto and Aki's conversation to a halt. Makoto let go of Aki's hand and let Rin sit by her, Sousuke just stayed by the corner of the room, he held onto the food and other bags. Makoto was surprised he still stayed here, considering his hatred towards this baby.

Makoto took the time to get some experienced nurses to help him with this procedure. Aki surprisingly wanted to go without an epidural. Makoto had to give her props for that. It took hours before the contractions were hitting a couple minutes apart, the whole excruciating process exhausting them all. Makoto was having second thoughts about saying yes to helping with this. When it had gotten farther into the contractions Sousuke had to pull Rin aside so he wouldn't worry Aki too much, much to everyone's relief since Rin had been causing more trouble than anything. Everyone tried to be patient with him but he had been getting in the way and causing more anxiety than relief. Makoto flinched uncomfortable with each whine Aki made when a contraction hit, he felt bad he couldn't do anything to help. Makoto had a feeling this would be the only time he ever helps deliver a baby, this whole process was terrifying and he was questioning why women even gave birth.

"Aki, you're going to have to start pushing now…" Makoto says when she was ten centimeters dilated. He felt a bit embarrassed seeing Aki like this, but he was assured it was okay. He had some nurses by his side reassuring him with all of this. Makoto was glad for their presence, without the nurses he probably would've panicked already.

"O-Okay…" Aki says through gritted teeth. Another contraction hit her and she let out a scream, Makoto chewed his lip slightly.

"Keep pushing Aki you're doing great..." He said, hoping to help her with the process. Aki breathed shallowly, worrying Makoto a bit, he couldn't imagine how much pain she was in right now. Makoto took a quick glance at Rin who was shaking and holding onto Sousuke.

"Rin, hold her hand please…" Makoto said, knowing that it might help Aki a bit. Rin makes a small nod and goes over by Aki, grabbing her hand. Makoto brought his attention back to the baby and makes a tiny gasp.

"Aki you're doing wonderful, I see the head!" He says with a small smile. He looked to the other nurses to make sure they were ready with a towel.

"Okay, so just focusing on breathing now… We want a slow birth so you and the baby aren't hurt." Makoto said, he saw Aki make a small nod of acknowledgement. She breathed a bit rapidly now and Rin rubbed her shoulder, quietly assuring her she was doing well. Makoto helped support the baby as it came out, it didn't cry, which surprised Makoto and he went to cut the umbilical cord.

"Congratulations, it's a boy-" Makoto starts but is stopped as he looks at the baby. He noticed the baby had bright blue eyes and pale skin. The only word Makoto could think to describe it was _'perfect'_. The second thing Makoto noticed was Rin gasping. He looked at Rin and raised a brow when he saw the red head staring at him and the baby… Actually everyone in the room was staring at him and the baby. Makoto looked back to it and noticed a very bright light, at first he wasn't sure where it was coming from, it was blinding. There was a strange warmth traveling through Makoto's chest, he wasn't sure why his chest was glowing at first or what this feeling was, but when he realized that the same type of glow was coming from the baby's chest his eyes widened.

'_**No.'**_

Makoto held the baby out at arm's length and saw a mark on his hip. It was of a dolphin and whale. Makoto was quick to hand the baby to the closest nurse and check his own mark. The same mark as the baby's. This only meant one thing, and Makoto felt the urge to both laugh and cry at how cruel the universe was to him, to give him a soul mate that was just a baby.

"No…oh my god no…" Makoto mumbled quietly running a hand through his hair as he shook like a leaf. His chest still glowed brightly.

"Makoto, I'm going to have to kill you now." Rin says, his eyes turned into such a cold glare that it sent a shiver down Makoto's spine. It wasn't fair, none of this was fair. Makoto had waited patiently and kept his hopes up for this? A baby! His friend's child..! There was a twenty four year difference between them…! Makoto couldn't believe how fucked up the world could be. All he could do was back up and walk off, away from the baby, away from Aki, away from Rin, away from everyone. He needed some comfort, he needed to find peace again somewhere, he just couldn't do this right now.

This was the first time that Makoto completely, one hundred percent, despised the idea of soul mates.


	2. Chapter 2

The cold air hit Makoto's face as he got outside the hospital, it was welcoming for the doctor as he didn't want to be anywhere near the stuffy hospital room with Rin and Aki's child- His soulmate.

Of course the world would be cruel enough to do this to him, why wouldn't it? A child as a soulmate, only about a half hour old now. It was so _wrong_. He didn't understand how this could happen, what he did to deserve this. Why did the universe hate him so much?

Makoto took out a cigarette with shaky hands, he knew he shouldn't smoke when on his shift but he just needed something to calm his nerves right now. He wanted to break this habit one day but… Today was definitely not the day. He placed the cigarette in his mouth and lit the end of it, taking a large puff of his thin stick of salvation before letting out a long breath, smoke pouring from his mouth.

What would he do?

Makoto knew he couldn't keep running from the truth, it would be impossible to stay parted from his soulmate, just he didn't know how to face this problem. How could he come to accept something that was so completely morally wrong? If he let himself be around Rin and Aki's child, he'd be allowing himself to love a minor.

Even if he wanted to stay a part of his soul mates life, if he did want to try and make this work between the two, Rin wouldn't want him anywhere near the child. He had no clue what Aki would think, but he knew Rin wanted him dead right now, the red head tended to be very hotheaded and emotional, Makoto doubted he'd be able to get within five feet of his soulmate.

What was even worse, was thinking about that poor baby, he had no choice in the matter, he wasn't even aware of the issue yet he had to live a life tied to Makoto… The olive haired doctor knew if he parted from the child, it would only hurt him, they both would experience pain from being away from their soulmate and a baby shouldn't have to feel that. Makoto wished it didn't have to be this way, because even though he knew it was terrible on his part, being soulmates with a baby… The baby would have just as hard of a time, being soulmates with someone twenty four years older than them. Makoto would be in his forties by the time the baby reached eighteen years old, he would die while the boy was still young… He could only hope he managed to get his family's good genes and remain looking young at an older age because he didn't want the poor child to be soulmates with a gross old man…

"Makoto." A voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Makoto tensed hearing it and looked over his shoulder, seeing Sousuke in the doorway of the hospital. He didn't know what the other wanted but he feared it wouldn't be anything great.

"…What?" He asked, taking in another puff from the cigarette. He could tell Sousuke was irritable, he understood the other was still not pleased with the fact that his own soulmate had a child with someone else, not to mention the fact he had to be there as the child was born, but he couldn't find any reason for Sousuke to have followed him out here.

"They want you back in there." Sousuke said, approaching the doctor and taking Makoto's cigarette out of his hand before throwing it on the ground. Sousuke had never been happy with Makoto's unhealthy habit, so that part wasn't a surprise. What was shocking, though, was that Aki and Rin wanted him back in the room with their child-his soulmate.

"I don't want to go back in there Sousuke…" Makoto said with a defeated sigh, terrified to be close to his soulmate when there was such a large age gap between the two. Once again, Sousuke did not seem happy as he crossed his arms and looked at Makoto with stern eyes.

"Do you think I want to either? I don't want to be near that kid but I have to because Rin is my soulmate. I don't want to be the kid's step father, but I have to be, because I love Rin. If I could, I would want the kid out of my life, but I have to live with seeing proof Rin cheated ever day of my life now. It's my responsibility. That kid… That kid is your soulmate, and as weird and terrible it is, you have a responsibility to him. You can't abandon him, if you do he'll grow up miserable and destructive… And you… You'll change too and you'll go mad. Trust me, being away from your soulmate kills you inside." Sousuke said, Makoto couldn't help but listen to his logic. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Sousuke was completely, one hundred percent, right.

"Makoto, you have to go up there, as difficult as it is…" The words rang in Makoto's ears and he sighed, giving a small nod to Sousuke. As much as he didn't want to, he had to be there for his soulmate, he had to make sure he was always there so that his soulmate didn't feel any pain or sadness…

"You're right… Thank you…" He said quietly and went to head back into the hospital. Makoto turned his head back to look at Sousuke, who remained where he was, his hands now in his pockets.

"Are you coming?" He asked quietly, he heard his friend let out a sigh and shake his head.

"Not yet, I need some air. I'll be back inside in a little while." Sousuke said quietly. Makoto understood this and made a tiny nod. He turned away and went inside the hospital, the warmth welcoming him back in. Makoto let out a small breath, hoping he didn't smell too badly of smoke as he went to return to the hospital room.

When he arrived, Aki was resting and Rin was sitting in the chair, his leg bouncing as he did. There was no sign of the child, though Makoto assumed it was because he had to get all his shots and a thorough examination to make sure he was healthy. Rin's eyes darted over to Makoto when he entered and he let out a sigh.

"Aki, he came back…" Rin said quietly, nudging the girl who slowly opened her eyes. Rin still didn't seem too pleased, but he wasn't killing Makoto so… That was a good sign.

"Oh… Hi, Makoto…" Aki said, her voice drowsy and her exhaustion evident. Makoto went to stand by the edge of the bed, hoping Aki wasn't overworking herself right now as she spoke to Makoto.

"Hello Aki… You should really get some rest…" He said quietly, hoping that she would listen to his words so she could remain healthy. Aki just gave him a tired smile.

"I know… And I will… But Rin and I need to talk to you." She said softly, Makoto shifted his weight between his feet, already knowing exactly what the topic was, though it was obvious and would be hard not to know.

"We're going to let you be around the kid… We know you have to… And it's not your fault the two of you are soulmates…. I want my child to be happy and if being with you is the way to do it, then I don't mind. I trust you with him…" Aki told him softly. Makoto's eyes widened and he looked at the girl in front of him.

"Really?" He asked quietly, only to receive a nod in response, he hated how he was happy hearing this, he didn't want to be happy. If he could have it his way he'd stay away from the child forever, this was just showing the connection the two had already formed. Due to being soulmates, he wanted to be around the other, even though he knew it was wrong. Rin placed his hand on Makoto's shoulder and the other looked over at him.

"We're going to have to make rules as he grows up." The red head said sternly, Makoto could tell this was the terms for this agreement, Makoto could see the baby as long as he agreed to the terms. He didn't mind, he knew he'd have to see his soulmate but he didn't want to do anything like become intimate with it, the age difference between the two would always be a major turn off for him, not to mention the fact that he's Rin's son.

"That's fine with me, Rin." Makoto said, looking at the other and just hoping that this whole ordeal wasn't going to break their friendship too much.

Before any conversation could continue, a nurse walked into the room, her arms carefully cradling a small form. Makoto could feel his heart beat quicken, knowing all too well that this was the child.

"He's all healthy." The nurse said with a smile as she put the baby in Aki's awaiting arms. She smiled softly as she looked down at the baby and kissed his forehead. It was almost humorous how quickly Makoto and Rin went to her sides to gaze upon the small child.

The baby's wide blue eyes stared up at them, they couldn't help remind Makoto of the ocean, he found it beautiful… The world reflecting in his eyes…. The innocence they held… He let out a small sigh, he had never thought a child's eyes could be this captivating, at least when it wasn't his child… Yet here he was, marveling at how beautiful they were… The baby was just beautiful in general, perfect even.

"What did you two name him..?" Makoto asked, his voice quiet as he did not want to startle or upset the baby, though he really did need to know the name of his soulmate… He just hoped Aki was in charge of the name, he doubted Rin would come up with anything good. Aki giggle and nuzzled her child close.

"His name is Haruka Nanase…" She said softly. Makoto couldn't help but smile, a perfect name for a perfect child… It seemed Aki had the boy take her last name rather than Rin's, though it made sense given Aki only had Haruka… Rin had Sousuke and if they really wanted to they could have a child of their own.

"I love it…" Makoto found himself whispering. Aki smiled more before looking up to Makoto.

"Why don't you hold him?" She asked causing Makoto to tense. He didn't expect to even be asked that, let alone did he know how to answer it… He was afraid to. He shifted a bit and chewed his lip, as much as he was afraid though, he did want to. He wanted to be close to the baby, which is what caused him to begin nodding before he even realized.

"Okay… Thank you…" He said quietly, he could feel Rin glaring at him, though he attempted to ignore it as Aki began to hold Haruka out. Makoto gently took him, surprised with how little resistance the child gave, most babies tended to squirm and cry at any disruption, Haruka was so quiet and calm…

When he was holding Haruka, the baby snuggled up a little causing Makoto to take in a sharp breath, his chest was filled with warmth just by holding him… The fact a baby could bring him this much joy and happiness was just… Pure madness. He couldn't believe just by seeing Haruka, he wouldn't want to leave the child's side… But soulmates were like this weren't they? They felt so unbelievably close even though they knew nothing about each other.

_Well, Haruka… You may not know it now, but we're going to be together for a long time. Ah, I hope you don't mind… I know this whole relationship is wrong but… I hope I make you as happy as you make me… I hope I can give you a happy life._

Makoto sighed as he left another long day at the hospital, he hated having to work so late, but at least he was getting overtime for it… He wasn't even supposed to work today, but the hospital had been extremely busy today so he offered to go in and help out.

As Makoto approached the car he looked at his phone, noticing some texts from Rin. Apparently Haruka had been asking for him all day and it was pissing Rin off, though Rin always got angry with the fact Haru preferred spending time with Makoto. It had been eight months since Haru was born, he had grown a lot since then and even began speaking and crawling. Makoto had to admit, there were a couple tears when Haru's first word was Makoto's name. He felt as though it was an honor, to be what he said first. While Aki found it cute, Rin seemed less enthused about how close Haruka was to Makoto…. Rin turned out to be a protective father.

Still, things were not perfect, Sousuke barely helped Rin and Makoto care for Haruka and Aki… Well Aki hasn't been doing well at all. She recently began getting sick and due to this Haruka hasn't been able to go to her house in weeks. Aki was going to be going to the doctor's soon, though Makoto had a bad feeling about it.

He got in the car and began driving home, he will admit, he was excited to see Haru. The child always made the highlight of his day, when he came home his eyes would light up and would only want to be held by Makoto… He was adorable and become more and more beautiful as he grew. Now he even had silky raven hair.

Haruka's calm demeanor still seemed to stay, his face always stoic, though his eyes showed every emotion he had. Makoto loved his eyes…

Makoto parked at his house and smiled as he got out of the car, just in time for dinner. One of the many cute things Haru did was when he ate. If Makoto was home for dinner, Haru refused to let anyone other than the olive haired doctor sit next to him. He'd make a fuss if someone tried to take 'Makoto's spot'. Makoto loved to feed him, pretending the food was a train or plane so Haru would eat it. It seemed to make Haru happy as well as his eyes always lit up when Makoto fed him.

He still couldn't believe his soulmate was a child, the reality always slapped him in the face when he saw the mark of a whale and dolphin on Haruka, it was on the boy's hip visible only when his shirt began to ride up… Makoto felt terrible about it, that Haru was stuck with him, but what was even worse was the fact that he hadn't wanted anything to do with Haruka when he first heard, yet now he wouldn't be able to spend a day without at least seeing a picture of him.

It took a while to make peace with the fact they were soulmates, when he finally did, he told his parents and siblings… He was lucky to have their support. They understood that Makoto had no control over this and they wished for Makoto to be happy. His family only met Haru once, near when he was about two months old. They were happy to see the boy, though they asked to only see him again when he was older, when Makoto could actually pursue a relationship with him. Makoto understood, it was weird to see a child and know its soulmate was an adult, but unlike his family, he couldn't just turn away from the fact. He had to face it head on.

Makoto went to the door and opened it, he was met with the smell of mackerel and couldn't help but laugh, it had become Haru's favorite food as of lately and it seemed the child couldn't get enough of it.

"Mako..!" A small voice rang out, Haru's voice. Makoto couldn't help the grin spreading even more as he went to the living room where Haruka was sitting on the carpet, his favorite stuffed animal, a dolphin, sitting in front of him.

"Hey Haru-Chan~" He giggled as he kneeled down and picked the boy up. Haru's eyes were bright and happy, his hands grabbing tiny fistfuls of Makoto's shirt. It was comforting, having the boy so close, and he still had that warm feeling in his chest.

Makoto continued holding Haru as he got up and went to walk to the kitchen where he knew Sousuke and Rin were, Haru stayed quiet, just content being held and snuggled up to Makoto. When Makoto got to the kitchen, he heard the hushed voices of Rin and Sousuke.

"We can't do this full on. Every other week was already pushing it but I don't want the kid to stay here every day." Makoto recognized the voice as Sousuke's, he already had a slight clue as to what the two were talking about, the fact that Haru had been staying at this house for the past month, but he didn't understand why exactly. As far as he knew, once Aki got better they were all going back to the normal schedule.

"Sousuke, I'm his father. I love him and if it has to be done then he'll be staying here." Rin said, Makoto peeked into the room and saw the red head crossing his arms, only to get a scoff from Sousuke in response.

"The plan was every other week Rin. Listen, I understand he's your kid and all, I know you have to see him and care for him, but do you have any clue how terrible it feels seeing him every day? How he looks like you and Aki?! I can't stand seeing the result of your cheating every day…" Sousuke growled and for a moment the two went silent, Rin just running a hand through his hair as he looked so unbelievably tired.

"Aki has cancer Sousuke…. With chemo and all the medication she'll have to take… She can't watch Haru. We have no choice. When she gets better we can go back to the every other week schedule…" Rin said with a sigh, rubbing his face as he did. Makoto tensed as he heard this, Aki had cancer…. The olive haired doctor couldn't help but hold Haru closer, protective of the young child. He didn't want this for Haru…

"Do you really think she's going to get better?" Sousuke asked, though before Rin could answer, Makoto walked in, unable to hear any more of this conversation. He wanted Haru to have a good life, he wouldn't accept anything bad happening to the poor child.

"Hey, is dinner almost ready?" He asked, trying to keep a smile on his face though it was obvious that he had heard everything Rin and Sousuke said.

"Um...Yeah, hold on a moment." Rin said and went back to the stove top to check on the mackerel. Makoto let out a sigh and looked down at Haruka, blue eyes staring back up at him.

"…Everything will be okay, Haru." He said softly. He was going to do his best to make sure this was true.


End file.
